Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, it is that heirloom tomato time of year! Do you know the name of the tomato you are buying? It could be an Early Girl, Black Prince, Cherokee Purple, Gold Medal, Green Zebra, Orange Oxheart, Ponderosa Red, Violet Jasper, Tasmanian Chocolate, and Wapsipinicon Peach or many others. Know your tomato!

Chicago -Cochon 555′s Heritage BBQ - 4-8pm Goose Island Brewery 1800 W. Fulton Heritage BBQ presented by Goose Island Beer Co. is an all-inclusive event, a stand-up tasting where five notable chefs will each be given a 200 pound heritage breed pig to create six dishes for a crowd of pork-loving enthusiasts. A panel of 20 respected judges will vote for the city’s “BBQ King or Queen.” The events raise awareness for responsible family farms, culinary schools, local food producers, craft brewers, great winemakers, and prestigious distillers wanting to celebrate with an amazing food event during National Bourbon Month. The cause is local, the flavors are global, the talent is unbridled.

FM – Chicago (West Loop)Green City Market Fulton St. Market is located at 222 N. Halsted, on the southwest corner of Halsted and Fulton. Parking is available along Halsted and in the lot on the southeast corner of Fulton and Halsted

Chicago - The Windy City Wine Festival – Buckingham Fountain A celebration of wine, beer, food, music and friends. The festival provides an opportunity to sample from more than 300 wines from around the world. Learn about new and exciting varieties from the experts in a relaxed festival setting.Wine seminars and cooking demonstrations are conducted by event sponsors, exhibiting wineries, area chefs and restaurateurs. Some of the area’s best restaurants and caterers will sell their signature dishes. Live music will be performed on the festival stage. This event takes place RAIN or SHINE.

New!!!! Chicago(Lincoln Park) - Beaver Dam Pepper Celebration The Green City Market - Green City Market and Scrumptious Pantry will celebrate rare heirloom fruits and vegetables with deep roots in the Midwest. At the center of this celebration will be the Beaver Dam Pepper, named after Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Menu specials from the prepared food vendors, a scavenger hunt for the kids and a fundraiser for Green City Market’s Edible Garden in Lincoln Park will raise awareness for our regional heirlooms in delicious and fun ways!

Skokie - The Talking Farm Hullabaloo The Howard Street Farm 2-6pm They’ve hosted the Hullabaloo annually since 2011, the year they attained the land that would become the Howard Street Farm. The Hullabaloo is an open house for the community to see their progress in creating the Farm out of vacant land filled with invasive species. Though they’re continuing to build the Farm and its adjacent woodlands, this is the first year they’re celebrating their harvest so the Hullabaloo will be more festive than ever!! Join them as they celebrate the fruits of community innovation and cooperation — as well as the fruits of the Farm — at this family-friendly, leisurely event.

September 21

Chicago – Red Meat Market Bison Butchering Class - Their 3 hour, hands-on class will guide you through the process from the moment the bison carcass is delivered to when it reaches the kitchen! Participates will have the opportunity to breakdown a half carcass. You’ll then start to break it into standard and some special cut! Learn knife skills, butchering techniques and how to breakdown a carcass into tasty steaks, tenderloins, roasts and ground! You’ll feel the meat between your fingers, experience the smooth cut of the knife, smell the fresh aromas and be part of the renaissance of the local butcher.

Chicago -Dose Bomb - at Morgan Manufacturing in the West Loop, get a big Dose of the freshest and the best at the Dose Bomb, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 401 N. Morgan. An ever-dynamic marketplace devoted to showcasing the finest designers, chefs, makers, bakers, entrepreneurs and artists, Dose is the place to discover those in Chicago doing it right. There’s no better way to spend a Sunday.

Fairbury(Chicago-there will be transportation) – Harvest Feast Spence Farm Foundation -4-7pm Join them at Harvest Feast to enjoy a beautiful evening of local ingredients turned into extraordinary edibles followed by a charity auction supporting Spence Farm Foundation’s programming like Chef Camp. (The bus will leave at 12:00 pm from Chicago | Evanston area and will arrive there at about 10:00 pm after the Harvest Feast)

Libertyville - Radical Supper in a Barn on a Farm – 31330 N. Milwaukee 5-8pm Radical Root and The Stew are teaming up to bring you a radical supper, in a barn, on a farm. You’ve heard of ‘farm to table’, but this time the table isn’t even leaving the farm. They’re hosting it right there, in a 100 year old barn. You’ll get the pristine produce from Radical Root, transformed into the deliciousness you love from Sauce and Bread Kitchen. Come along and let them treat you to a magical night!

September 24

****** Chicago (Ravenswood) - Dinner In The Beer Garden - 6:30pm River Valley Farmer’s Table 1820 W. Wilson Calling all Chicago area locavores! We invite you to join us at River Valley Farmer’s Table for a feast-ive celebration of harvest season inspired by Lucy Saunders’ new book, ‘Dinner in the Beer Garden‘. This relaxing, come-as-you-are dinner features local, seasonal ingredients from the organic garden of River Valley Ranch & Kitchens (Burlington, WI), presented in five, family-style courses prepared by chef Jordan Rose.
The meal will include selected local craft brews that are expertly paired by Lucy (@lucybeercook) and Jim Javenkoski (@localfoodwisdom), the co-hosts of this informative event. Additionally, River Valley Ranch & Kitchens owner Eric Rose will be present to share his story about the farm, which is renown for its cultivation of mushrooms. Each guest who purchases a ticket will receive a copy of Lucy’s new book, ‘Dinner in the Beer Garden’, a $28.95 retail value! Doors open at 6:30 PM and the first course will be served at approximately 7 PM. Menu details are forthcoming… $50 per person

September 26-28

Chicago - Chicago Gourmet Weekend – Millenium Park – Ground Zero for these 3 days in the world for all things culinary. Checkout the link for tickets, information, schedule, events for this action-packed, food and beverage celebration!!